Mumbai Crime: Two arrested for priest's murder inside temple

The duo knew that the 95-year-old priest of the temple in Sanjay Gandhi National Park was usually alone; they hit the old man with stones, and fled with the donation box and gold crown

Two men have been arrested for the murder of a 95-year-old priest inside Wagheshwari temple in Dahisar (East). Ravi Patel (32) and Sandeep Nigot (32) allegedly murdered Ravidutt Puri on March 7, and fled with the temple donation box and the idol’s gold crown.

According to reports, Dahisar police had initially detained the two, but they eluded the cops saying that their mother was unwell. However, further investigations pointed towards their name and on Friday morning, they were arrested in Dahisar.

On March 7, Puri was found murdered inside the temple premises by a devotee. The deceased was a resident of Gyaneshwar Nagar, and had made the temple on a hillock, three kilometres inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

According to the police, the two accused had visited the temple a couple of times and noticed that Puri was usually alone. On March 7, they went to the temple, and hit him with bamboo sticks and stone. The priest died on the spot, and the duo fled with the donation box and gold crown.